Imagine that Kathleen Wynne becomes premier of Ontario but her predecessor Dalton McGuinty is still allowed to run the province until he gets himself re-established in a new full-time gig.

That’s the transitional trope in Vancouver where Cory Schneider was awarded the starting goalie position with the Canucks at season’s start. But management has kindly agreed to let Roberto Luongo keep his old No. 1 job till he gets his feet on the ground. The lingering drama has left Vancouver fans, excitable at the best of times, positively unhinged.

Luongo notched his fourth straight win on Monday with a 3-2 overtime win in Edmonton. Despite a paucity of scoring (Vancouver fervently awaits the return of Ryan Kesler and David Booth), Luongo’s win streak has put the swagger back in the two-time defending President’s Cup champions. And no one does swagger like Luongo and the ‘Nucks.

Concurrent with these developments, Vancouver GM Mike Gillis and his trusted Sancho Panza, Laurence Gilman, have been wandering the East, studying prospects and contenders. Sunday they popped up on TV in Washington where the Capitals are listing to port. (Tuesday they were due to watch the Rangers and Devils in New Jersey.)

To innervated Canucks fans, Gillis’s Washington appearance was akin to an outbreak of boils. Luongo trade fever peaked. After the Twitter storm subsided, Gillis apologized to Capitals GM George McPhee.

“I told him we only came to see the game,” Gillis told the Grind. “We didn’t mean to cause him any problems. We planned this trip a while ago to see some NCAA free agents and some games in the East to evaluate where we are at versus good teams here.”